


Jennifer of Cybertron

by Rangerfan58



Series: Cybertronian foster child [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 07:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11481699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangerfan58/pseuds/Rangerfan58
Summary: Okay for this part I got permission from giverofgrace on ff.n to use their idea





	1. Chapter 1

Well "Kasuga" was doing her daily warm ups for her swordsmanship lessons when her master, master Katakura came over to her practicing

*Kasuga stop warm ups for a minute*

*What is it master?*

*I have something to give you my student, come we go to the main dojo*

And so they went to the main dojo and sat down on their feet student facing where her master would normally sit and when he came out he had a box which he laid between them

*This is for you Kasuga, since we don't know anything about your past before you met me I decided the day we met would be considered your birthday*

*It has been one year since we met hasn't it master?*

*Indeed it has and we still have no word on who you might possibly be in real life*

*Actually master I think I finally have a clue as to who I might be, last night I had a dream*

*Do tell*

*It was a strange dream, I was surrounded by people in EDC* (Earth Defense Command) *Uniforms and a birthday cake before me, I think there were others as well but I couldn't tell or recognize any faces just the uniforms*

*That is strange, when would you have met and become friends with EDC officers at your age?*

*Exactly master that is why I mentioned it to you*

*You know we could try the local police again, they said that maybe after a year your hands would have healed enough that they would be able to get a clear print of your fingers, maybe that will work since I highly doubt we will be able to get any where's near an EDC base*

*True, but first master I will open the present you have given me*

And so "Kasuga" opens the box and sees a finely crafted Katana

*Master this is...*

*Yes I had it made for you months ago and was just waiting for the right time to give it to you*

She gives leans forward with her hands in front of her in a proper bow for her sitting position

*Thank you master for this great gift*

*No thank you my student for allowing me to pass on the ways of the sword, though it almost seems instinctual for you, now come we have to see if we can finally figure out who you are*

And so they go into town and then head to the police station who recognize both them and why they were there in the first place

*Come you two this way, now to hoping we can find out who you are*

*Officer I have a suggestion if you guys still can't get a clear fingerprint off of me*

*What might that be?*

*Would a DNA test from my blood be able to tell you who I am?*

*Only if it's on file some where's*

*I see*

*But if nothing else it is worth a try, and we can send it off to other countries too so that they can do tests as well and see if your DNA is on any of their files*

And so they fingerprint her and then that's when everyone gets a very big surprise

*Impossible, she went missing two years ago and has been presumed dead the entire time*

*What is it officer? Do you know who I am?*

*Um, maybe but the problem is the computer is declaring you to be someone declared dead two years ago*

*I still want to see officer, maybe I can help out if I see the name, you know memories coming back*

*True enough, very well come over here*

And so "Kasuga goes over to the computer and sees a name there Jennifer Kerenai. As soon as she saw that name she has a headache which eases up pretty fast all things considered

*Kasuga are you okay?*

*Master I...remember, I have my memories back*

*You do?*

*Yes master, in fact the dream last night was also a memory, but I just didn't realize it. The computer is correct I am Jennifer Kerenai*

*But the crash, the EDC stated there were no survivors*

(shakes her head) *Some of what happened that day two years ago is pretty fuzzy but I survived the crash and tried to head to either an American base or an EDC base but passed out after only a few hours of walking. A year after the crash you found me master trying to make a living off the land with no memories of who I was or even the fact that a whole year had passed since after the crash I had a hard time distinguishing just how many days had passed since one day went right into the next*

*You know it explains how you knew how to handle a sword, you just needed some refinement in technique*

*Agreed master, now then to tell the EDC who can tell my family in America that I'm alive after all this time*

*I am sure they will be very happy to do so*

*Kerenai I actually have one more gift to bestow upon you but it has a condition which cannot be changed*

*What is it master?*

*I wish to declare you a sword master but you must pass the test in order to be named such*

*I understand master I have heard of the test, in fact if I am correctly recalling there are EDC officers who are qualified to give me the test to see if I qualify for the title of master swordsman*

*Indeed there are so let's go*

And so they went to the EDC and explained everything they could in regards to Jennifer's identity and why it had taken so long to identify her


	2. Chapter 2

*We're just glad to hear you're alive, and what's better we found out on your birthday*

Well the master looked shocked and quickly explained why he was shocked

*You know we can do the test now to see if you are qualified to be declared a master swordsman do you have your new sword with you?*

*Yes but I require time to warm up and get used to it's weight*

*But of course all students applying for the test have two hours to properly warm up and adapt to the weight of their new swords*

And so two hours later it was time for the test and it was tough, she not only had to show she had perfected the art of sword drawing, but also had master the standard katas for the weapon and then go up against both the master who trained her and also two other masters and had to beat two of them to be declared a master swordsman. Finally the test ended and she left the room to allow the judges to deliberate if she had the qualifications to be known as a master swordsman, finally she was called back in and saw the masters and the panel of judges standing in front of her and then as one they bowed to her

*Congratulations on becoming a master swordsman Jennifer Kerenai*

At hearing that she bowed back as was proper

*Thank you masters for bestowing this honor upon me*

*When will you go home Kerenai? Because I if I recall correctly you no longer have any qualifications which could help in an emergency*

*I will wait until I can qualify for pilot status*

And so for the next three months Jennifer went through extensive retraining to become a licensed pilot once more, they also checked to see which grade she should be in seeing as how she had missed two years of school and was nine years old now. They found out she was right on track so during the day she would be training and studying to become a pilot again and at night she was taking classes so that once she could pass the pilots test she would be in the same grade as her fellow age mates. Finally the day came that they decided to see if she was truly ready to pass the pilots test, an American Airlines co-pilot, one who had been a co-pilot for the past fifteen years by his choice was the final tester should she be able to pass every other test. Once Jennifer entered the cockpit she saw the co-pilot and wondered what was going on but didn't ask any questions, but within five questions she realized that this was a final test, everything she had been through was actually a final test, not a test to see how much she remembered this time. Within fifteen minutes she was up in the air doing proper maneuvers that would be required of a pilot in several different emergency situations, finally she was making the final approach and made a near perfect landing (a sudden gust of wind changed how soon she touched down)

"Congratulations Kerenai you're now officially a pilot for American Airlines again"

"Thank you captain"

And so she reveals she's passed the test to the EDC and that's when she gets a very nice surprise that she wasn't expecting until she was home in America

"Jennifer we have something for you"

"What else could you guys have for me three months after my birthday? I have everything I could ever want for now, I know I have to re-certify with the armed forces and also federal agencies but that will happen during summer"

"Come on back and you'll see what surprise we have for you, you're going to like it"

With those words they go to the back and Jennifer sees several cars she wasn't expecting until she was home in America and some of them not even then because of the whole two worlds situation they were dealing with. When she saw them she immediately switched to a language no one but her and the cars could understand and speak seeing as how it was the cars language

*Prowl, Blaster, Barricade, Soundwave I was expecting to see Prowl or Soundwave until I got home seeing as how Barricade and Blaster are  _supposed_  to be on Cybertron*

*Which we'll be going back to soon enough but several people on Cybertron wanted actual proof that it's really you so the two of us volunteered*

*Sorry for making you guys think I was dead for two years but whoever caused the crash made sure the explosion was pretty big and anyone near it would be thrown far and hard, so in a way I guess it would be understandable that I would lose my memories*

*True, where are you going from here though, are you going home or are you staying in Japan for your education?*

*Home I want to go home to America where I belong, besides considering who I am I will be able to get my Katana into America with very few problems after all you never know when the weapon will be needed, but since I always have guns on my person the sword won't be needed as often but it will be needed on occasion*

*Agreed so when are you going home then?*

*Um either tomorrow or Friday seeing as how I passed the pilots test today*

*Okay so you're coming home within the next three days I'll tell Optimus, Rodimus, and Galvatron when we go back home today*

*And on Cybertron I'll tell Ultra Magnus and Starscream*

The next day saw Jennifer starting to pack up in order to prepare to leave her sensei who had raised her for the past year

*Master thank you for taking care of me this past year after having taken care of myself for a year*

*No problem, will you keep up your weapons training even though you've been declared a master?*

*Yes, after all it wouldn't be good for me to be declared a master and then rust from not using my skills*

Suddenly though her master falls down dead, struck by an arrow in the back, an arrow she has not seen in many a year but still recognizes. On the arrow was a message for her eyes only, though Jennifer would involve the EDC once she read the letter, only made sense after all since they worked closely with her legal guardians

" _Kasuga, come to the Inomori bridge at noon tomorrow to finish what your master started all those months ago, if you do not come we will attack the village near your place and_ _you_ _will be blamed for the deaths of innocent civilians due to your lack of honor and courage it's you're choice but remember you only have until noon tomorrow_ "

"Oh I'll come, but I won't be alone, my family won't allow it, but first I will bury my master per his wishes"

By nightfall her master is buried and she is at the EDC base where they understood the situation seeing as how Jennifer had given them the background to understand the letter

_Two hours earlier_

"So who's Kasuga and what is the letter talking about?"

(sighs) "First of all you should know that Kasuga refers to me, it is the name my sword master gave me when I was found by him with no memories of who I truly was. Second the problem is that what those people think happened and what really happened are two different things entirely" (sighs again) "Okay for you to understand the transgression that has been supposedly portrayed you have to understand what life was like for me a year ago. I was surviving off the land eating and drinking whatever I could find and living in trees and sometimes not even having that luxury. The day the master found me I was savaging for food like I did every two days and he actually thought I looked pretty pathetic which trust me at the time I was, he was actually on a mission for the local police to help find some bandits that they just couldn't track and seeing as how he used to be part of the Japanese Self Defense Force he was the best person to ask for help from. He actually learned the art of the samurai swordsman from a teacher while he was with the JSDF and after he retired took to training to become a master swordsman like I am now and also volunteered his military training to the police should they so request it. Well like I said on that day the police asked for his help with some bandits and he agreed but on the way their he found me so he had me come with him to the station where I got real food for the first time in a year though that wasn't known until recently as well. When the police chief spoke to my master about the problem he immediately thought about a group of rogue soldiers in the JSDF who wanted ways to go back to the Sengoku period or any other period besides the one of peace we have now. Needless to say no one was very happy about the turn of events and my master declared the local police unable to handle them because of their rogue military status, he decided to deal with the problem himself and then asked if I wished to come along since I had actually demonstrated rare fighting talent and thought I might be able to survive the upcoming encounter. He even stated that if I survived he would take me as his student to learn the ways of the sword, he said that he could help me refine my technique seeing as how I fought him using a makeshift bokken, as he surprised me and thus was thought to be a foe. He won the bokken duel but still I impressed him. Anyhow I agreed to his terms and I went with him to the next town where he thought the rogues might be and he was right, the entire town was completely full of rogues and those who would follow the rogues to the end. There were no women or children in the town but for a short amount of time my master thought there might be innocent civilians trapped though that wasn't actually the case, and my master demanded a peaceful surrender" (scoffs) "Peaceful wasn't in their vocabulary it seems, what ensued after my masters demands were made was a bloodbath like no other known in the history of mankind besides WWII and the execution of Jews and others not approved of by Hitler. They shot so many arrows that after the first volley I lost track of just how many there were and once they were out of arrows they came at us with weapons, mainly Katana but a few of them preferred guns. My master told me to stay close to him and he would protect me but that didn't last long because of the fact that they managed to separate us thinking we were already master and student, I subconsciously called on all the training I had been given before the accident and killed everyone that tried to kill me, I kicked many of them in the gut hard enough for internal bleeding and also used my various styles of hand to hand to get the weapons away from them. Once I did have weapons I either shot the attackers with guns, or once I ran out of bullets I used a sword to slash all my enemies in the stomach, I actually cut off the head of one of my enemies because of the fact that it was the only way to hurt him in the position I had been caught"

She pauses for a few minutes taking a drink from the cup she had been given and just has a far away look that they allow her to have for a few minutes because of everything she had described so far they figured she needed to process everything she had said but they eventually prompted her to continue the story

"So anyways after I was finished with my battle I went in search of my new master and what I saw there I never want to see again if I can help it. Every single attacker was shredded and missing limbs or heads, many of the attackers were missing both and my master was  _covered_  in blood not all of it his own because he had some pretty nasty injuries himself from that battle. Actually later that day in the hospital I was told that if I hadn't called for help when I did he would have died from blood loss he was that badly injured, it took him two months to actually be able to properly train me instead of just telling me to do my best from videos and books. When we gave the police our statements we learned that there were actually more people from the group who attacked us and would want revenge for what had happened that day, they actually offered us protection but my master decided not to take it not wanting to be the cause of the deaths of officers if he could help it. And actually up until today all we've been doing is training and trying to forget that bloody day because neither of us wanted to deal with the remnants of the group if we could help it because we didn't want to be the cause of another tragedy, or worse a civil war which would spread throughout Japan and devastate the country"

"And yet they're demanding a meeting for tomorrow to settle the score with you after having killed your master"

"Yes, they are, and like I said they don't know the full story, you see there's something I left out in regards to the story because it's actually completely separate from what was going on in town. There were actually children being raised in this environment of hate and war, though we didn't find that out until six months after the battle, turns out the day we fought the insurgents they were away at a secret training camp that no one knew about until then and so we were unaware of young people being forced into that lifestyle, apparently when the kids came back from the training camp they found everyone there dead and didn't know why, so the adults with them did research while they forced the kids to continue training in that environment. The adults found out about us via video cameras we were unaware of and tried to find our location but until today I guess they had no such luck but now they know where we are and they killed my master as an example and will kill the people of the village if I don't answer their challenge. The police told us about the groups ruthlessness in regards to challenges because they've seen first hand what happens when a challenge goes unanswered. At the six month mark when we were finding all of this out we were interrupted by the police chief who told one of his officers that his entire town had been destroyed by these people because an Aikido master didn't accept an Aikido challenge and so as an example destroyed the town killing everyone in it, the officer lost his entire family that day, a wife and two kids. The group is destroying the younger generation and the only way to stop it unfortunately is through battle, a battle I never wanted to fight in the first place"

"We're behind you all the way you know that right?"

"Yes I do and it's pretty much the only thing that will keep me going in regards to this battle"

That night Jennifer gets in some extra sword training knowing that the next day would be hard for her. While she was training she was thinking back on that day so long ago after the battle


	3. Chapter 3

_One year earlier_

*Well Kasuga looks like you survived after all*

*Is that what you will call me until we can find out who I am master?*

*Yes it is, for now let's try and figure out just who these people were for the police*

And so they start looking around and that's when her new master noticed something about the arrows, something he had never thought he would see again

*I thought so, Kasuga, take a look at this arrow*

"Kasuga" goes over to her master and looks at the arrow but doesn't see anything different

*I don't get it master what's so special about this arrow?*

*This arrow is from a group of people who wish to take over Japan and turn it into the days of the Sengoku period, a period of constant fighting*

*Why would they want that?*

*I don't know Kasuga but it seems like we've managed to stop them before they executed their plans*

*You're right, however what if they show up again and I'm gone because I have my memories back?*

*Don't worry I know how to take care of myself*

_Present_

"And yet he was killed by an arrow in the back, the cowards"

*Kerenai, shouldn't you be asleep?*

She turns around and sees a Japanese police officer who was their for the debriefing

*Yes I should be but I decided to get in some extra training tonight before the battle tomorrow*

*If I might ask what were you just thinking of?*

*The day I met my master and we took down most of the terrorist group, mainly what happened after the battle when my master told me about the group*

*You miss him don't you?*

*Yes I do, he taught me so much in the year I was with him, he also did everything he could to try and find out who I truly was*

*He did? You never said that before*

*Yeah sorry about that, it's just that every day he would leave during the lunch hour and for the first three months I didn't know where. After three months had passed I cornered him during training and he told me about how he was trying to find out my true identity so that I could go back to my family even though that meant he was losing me*

*He wanted what was best for you*

*Yeah he did*

*What I'm wondering is why he didn't notice how much you looked like you when you had amnesia, wait that came out wrong*

(laughs) *Don't worry I think I know what you were trying to say. You are wondering why he didn't notice I looked a lot like the thought to be dead Jennifer Kerenai, the thing is he was blind, he had been blinded when he was in his twenties in a sword practice accident and had to relearn how to fight and then he taught me all while being blind*

*But wait if he was blind then how did he get around like he had?*

*Simple he took audible clues and used that as a means to figure out where he was, plus nothing really changed over the years so he had a mental map from when he could see that also helped*

*And he still managed to make the most kills of the insurgents? He was an amazing person alright*

*That he was and now it's time for me to finish what was started a year ago, hopefully the youngsters will listen to me but I doubt it*

*So you do still think this will only end in bloodshed*

*Unfortunately yes*

*We'll back you up all the way Kerenai*

*I know you will*

And so the next day at noon they were at the Inomori bridge as requested

*We never said anything about cops Kasuga*

*Doesn't matter look before we end this in bloodshed there are some things you should know. First of all my name isn't Kasuga it's Jennifer Kerenai, my master gave me the name Kasuga because I was amnesic at the time he found me. Second of all what happened that day is that everyone in town was insurgents trying to over take the government and turn Japan into the Sengoku period again, we gave them the chance to surrender but...*

*Lies the reason why we are doing this is so that there is even more unification than there is now and you did  _not_  give them the chance to surrender you just slaughtered everyone who ever cared about us, our caretakers who were with us when we returned to town killed themselves after making us promise to avenge the deaths of everyone that was killed that day due to a pact that was made between the elders in regards to if any of them were killed. We will continue their work and nothing you say can stop us*

With those words Kerenai knew that there was now no turning back, the only thing left for her to do was to fight the kids and so she unsheathed her sword in preparation for battle

*Then you leave me no choice but to fight you as well*

*But Kerenai you...*

*Don't interfere guys, don't worry I know what I'm doing*

She started to fight the kids and the officers quickly found out what Jennifer was talking about. Whenever she hit the kids she always used the dull side of the sword to knock them out and if she couldn't do that first she used the hilt of the sword to make them hold onto their stomach in pain and  _then_  would knock them out with the blunt side of the sword. Her final opponent though wouldn't allow her to just simply knock them out and she had to go full out in battle which was fully against her plans but she had no other choice in the matter, the kid had forced her hand and the battle was  _bloody_ , much bloodier than expected from a young kid by the end of the battle when Jennifer struck through the kids heart and killed him both had been pretty badly injured and either one of them could have collapsed at any time from blood loss. After she had killed the kid Jennifer collapsed from her injuries and was rushed to the nearest hospital who stabilized her, but once she was stable she was transferred to a higher level care hospital since the hospital she was initially in just couldn't handle her level of injuries

*How is she?*

*She'll recover completely however...she will never be able to wield a sword like she used to*

*What do you mean?*

*The nerves in her right arm were nearly severed, as it is she'll need extensive rehab just to use that arm again*

*She'll find a way, just like her master found a way to wield a sword blind she'll find a way to wield a sword with only one arm*

(snorts) *Scratch that even with the limitations she supposedly has she'll find a way to wield a sword like she used to no problem*

A few days later Jennifer woke up to find out about her right arm and the fact that she was essentially unable to do what she used to


	4. Chapter 4

*When does rehab start?*

*Once you get to America, don't think I don't know about you being an American citizen*

*And if I'm needed in the cockpit?*

*Why would you be needed in a cockpit when you're just a kid?*

*I'm a licensed pilot that's why, if something goes wrong they will need me to help fly the plane*

The doctor thinks on that for a few minutes and then gives her an answer she can live with

*Alright I'll allow you to handle the plane in an emergency only if you have someone who can push the buttons you can't and can fly the plane with you, basically all I want you to do is handle communication understood?*

*Yes sir* (thinks) " _If there's an emergency I'll do everything I can to use this right arm of mine, after all I've already regained feeling and some use, though I will still need physical therapy to handle everything I used to including a sword, though the doctor probably doesn't think I can handle such a thing like I used to anymore_ "

And so they go home and there actually was an emergency that needed Jennifer in the cockpit, the captain had a heart attack and the second in command needed an extra hand in the cockpit and so Jennifer went into the cockpit and strapped herself in. unfortunately that wasn't the only problem they would be presented with that night

"Uh sir, I think we have another problem here"

"What is it Kerenai?"

"We've lost the number two engine"

"If we lose another engine what's our closest landing area?"

"Midway islands"

"Good head a course for them just in case"

Fifteen minutes later they lost another engine

"Number three engine is out, I'm calling a mayday"

"Go for it I'll fly you talk"

"Mayday, mayday, mayday this is American Airlines 528 we have lost two engines and need immediate landing clearance, mayday, mayday, mayday I repeat this is American Airlines 528 we have lost two engines"

They hear an answer over the radio

"This is Midway base you are cleared to land runway two right"

"Thank you, have emergency personnel ready we have little control and a dead captain"

"Copy that"

And so the plane crashed onto runway two left on midway and erupted into a fiery ball of metal. Once the plane stopped everyone started evacuating and Jennifer and the co-pilot were last. It would take an hour to fully comprehend just how many lives were lost and who were alive and either just fine or injured and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) would interview everyone they could as soon as they managed to get people to the islands, they also would review the black box information and determine the planes engines shorted out due to a mishap shortly before takeoff, they commended Jennifer and the co-pilot with saving hundreds of lives. Though this came out seven months after the accident when Jennifer was in school once more and also ten years old now thus in fifth grade. At the moment she was in phys ed playing volleyball when she suddenly took a dive wrong and hit her right shoulder making it suddenly go numb and pretty much useless, and she thought back to three months ago when she had officially finished physical therapy.

_Three months earlier_

"Well Kerenai looks like you can do everything like you used to including wielding a sword however I give you warning, if you hit your arm just right it will go numb and most likely won't properly work for a time"

"Is it because of how bad the injury was?"

"Exactly, due to the fact that the nerves were almost completely severed your arm is now hyper sensitive to any changes including pressure put on the arm so if it goes numb and becomes useless use the skills I have taught you in regards to essentially having only one arm"

"Don't worry I will, I didn't go through intensive therapy just to forget that I might need those skills should my arm become useless"

"Though before we end this session I really need to know something, about the Katana that you wield it's almost as if..."

"Oh the Katana, it's not the same Katana that you think it is, you see about five years ago a sword smith figured that it wasn't a good thing that the Katana had to be wielded with two hands no matter what, because he figured that it was hard to still wield a Katana and be a martial artist if something happens and you lose the use of an arm so through trial and error he started forging a new type of Katana with the approval of the Japanese government. While I was still training with my master I was asked to try out the new blade to see how it handled both one handed and two handed and both were great the balance was perfect for both someone who had the use of both arms and someone who only had the use of one arm, shortly before I came home the sword smith stated that the sword my master got me was the same blade that I had tested months earlier with just a bit of refinement because he discovered that the blade was a bit...soft in regards to how long one could do demonstrations or if need be actually be used to protect people"

"But then wouldn't the blade have to be retested?"

"No because all he did was make the metal stronger he didn't do anything that would change the balance"

"Can I see?"

"But of course"

She brings out her Katana and proves that the blade can be used one handed if absolutely necessary

"That was amazing but um when will you be able to carry the Katana seeing as how they're already allowing you to have a gun on school property"

"I can only have the Katana on me during the weekends or if I'm in Japan I can have it on me at all times but that's it"

"Well, with that our time together officially ends, just remember not to push it if the arm decides to go numb"

"Don't worry I know my own body and will listen to any restrictions it lays on me"

_Present_

(thinks) " _Okay my arm has just gone useless much sooner than expected so what's the plan Kerenai are you going to bow out of the game or do something amazing with only one arm?_ "

She locks eyes with her phys ed teacher who noticed her touching her right arm and gives a slight shake of the head essentially declaring that she was continuing the game despite the fact that she was now at a disadvantage. The teacher just gave a slight nod of the head stating they were allowing it however both knew that either side reserved the right to pull Kerenai out of the game at any time before scheduled rotation. Suddenly though there was an explosion and then an announcement

"Attention teachers and students make your way to the basement if possible we have a situation on our hands"

Well as luck had it she was actually with two other EDC kids as they called themselves and the school knew that EDC kids were to do whatever they had planned before getting themselves to safety because while none of them had training since the age of five like Kerenai it had been decided shortly before she was born that from first grade up they would receive as much training as possible without getting into military issues. However by the time they were ten they were old enough to be making tactical decisions and acting on them if they felt it was needed and it was needed, so they conversed in sign language so that as few as possible knew what they were planning


	5. Chapter 5

*I need you to find every EDC kid you can and become a distraction while the teachers and students are evacuating to the auditorium*

*But wait I thought we were supposed to go to the basement*

*I'm changing those plans, look the bad guys will be going to the basement now because of that announcement, alert as many teachers and students as you can to the change of plans. While that's going on I'm going to get my guns and do what I can to slow them down I won't shoot unless shot at but if I do shoot I won't try to kill them*

*Even though they'll most certainly be trying to kill you?*

*Yes and if you know my story you know why I try not to kill humans*

*Of course, okay we'll go but  _you_ are to inform the principal if possible*

*Don't worry I will*

Once that was decided they split up and Jennifer got out her guns and started to take care of the intruders by knocking them out, though since there were so many it wasn't noticed at first. Finally the leader checked his people and found out about the fact that he was missing men

"Whoever took down our people is going to regret this"

He hears a voice from all around him due to where Jennifer was currently hiding

"I wonder about that after all you can't find me if I don't want to be found. Give yourself up SWAT is already here by now and will ask you to surrender peacefully anyways"

Well the people with the leader just start shooting the whole area which makes Jennifer move and shoot the people shooting at her

"My men, how dare you"

"Oh relax, they won't die I made sure to hit none vital areas, they'll just need medical attention for bullet wounds, though actually I might have shattered one of your peoples collar bones"

"Show yourself"

Jennifer jumps down from her location with the gun in her left hand aiming it at the leader

"You're just a kid"

"A highly trained kid but yes I guess you could call me a kid, now give up the police would have heard the sound of gunfire and barged in by now"

"I don't think so"

The boss shoots at Jennifer who does a flip backwards and gets a very nice surprise, her right arm was working again so the back flip was perfect and easy. Right after she landed on her feet there were SWAT officers right there telling both of them to put the guns down and surrender

"Yes sir"

And so Jennifer drops the gun and the boss shoots her thinking it a perfect opportunity to kill her but he underestimated her skills, she dodged the bullet and knocked the gun out before he could even blink

"That was a very big mistake"

She then hit him in the back of the neck hard enough to knock him out for quite a while

"Well officers I think you can finally arrest this guy without trouble"

"And take you down for questioning I hope?"

"Yeah I'll come in for questioning just as soon as I find out how my fellow students are doing, oh and I shot some of these guys so they'll be needing medical attention before they're put in a cell"

_Meanwhile with the students_

Once the EDC kids separated from Jennifer they quickly started telling the teachers and students the change of plans for their own safety and thus were listened to and everyone that got the message went to the auditorium instead. While most students and all the teachers were doing that those that were known as EDC kids started playing distraction to allow time for the students and teachers to get to safety, they even managed to save the principal while they were at it. Once they felt they had distracted the intruders long enough they made their way to the auditorium as well and then the waiting game began

"So how long do we have to wait until we find out it's safe to leave the auditorium?, which you guys will have to thank Kerenai for us in regards to that"

"What for?"

"Simple one of the students mentioned that the intruders actually went to the basement, she was lucky she wasn't discovered sneaking around trying to find a safe place"

"Well as for your question we'll have to wait until we're told it's safe by the police, trust me if it's too dangerous it's best to be in one spot where we're safe"

"But..."

"Listen sir I know you don't like this and neither do I but it's better to play safe then sorry"

Well finally after what seemed like an eternity they heard a knock on the door. The teachers had agreed that an EDC kid would be the one to answer any knock on the door because they knew the voice of police officers, and if they felt it necessary they knew all the proper codes that identify real officers from fake ones which would tell them that they were safe and considering what they were dealing with a fifth grader decided that it would be safest to use the codes

"Who is it?"

"Police"

"The red moon shines bright at night"

"But only in the presence of death"

"But the sky can also bring about a red dawn"

"And yet a clear sky can also indicate problems"

(sighs in relief) "I presume you caught the intruders then?"

"Yes and someone claiming to be a student however due to the fact that they too had a weapon they need to be brought in for questioning"

"Can I see them first I might know who it is either that or the teachers might"

"Very well"

Finally they saw the person claiming to be a student and a teacher who was the closest identified them

"Oh Kerenai what on earth were you thinking having the gun out in the presence of police officers?"

"Sorry but before they got here it was my only means of defense, you know I have special permits in regards to the weapons"

"At least you were smart enough to realize we should meet up in another location then the basement and the rest of the EDC kids provided distraction which gave us time to get to safety"

"Good that means they followed orders"

"Wait, sorry to interrupt but I did just hear the teacher correctly when I heard the name Kerenai correct?"

"Indeed you did officer Jennifer Kerenai at your service, I was gonna have to go down to the station anyways to give a statement, the fact that you didn't know who I was initially and wanted to take me down for questioning because I had a gun just would've made that happen a bit sooner is all"

"You know that if we interview you now it's essentially the same as giving a statement"

"Yeah except that every EDC kid has to turn in a hand written report to the closest station to them in person even if they've already given the police a statement during an interview and you know it"

"Actually I kind of forgot that because I've never noticed such a policy"

"How could you miss such a policy?"

"Maybe because there are so many people coming in and out of the station it's hard to keep track of who's who unless they're in a uniform"

"Okay you have a point there, anyhow I'll give one statement now and then either once the principal says so or the school day ends I'll come down and write an official report of my own"

The principal speaks up at that

"Actually considering what just happened and the fact that there's only about an hour left of the school day I'm dismissing the school early, and officers don't worry about the EDC kids coming to the station we'll simply have all of them on one bus and have that one head to the station"

About fifteen minutes later all the EDC kids were at the station filling out reports for the school incident and most of them finished within five minutes, only Jennifer's took longer because she not only wrote detailed reports about her actions but she had been the only one in danger for the longest and did the most work outside of the safety zone. Finally though she too was finished and an EDC officer was there to take her home after a long day at the station and away from her family

"So you finished with that report yet Kerenai?"

"Yeah just let me sign and turn the thing in and we'll go home"

"Good because from what I understand you had a stressful day today"

"Yeah I'll be doing some training to get rid of all this energy that I have"

"Robots?"

"Nope, family"

(hisses) "This is gonna get ugly real fast won't it?"

"Nah, they'll know why I asked for them because I'll tell them from the start"

"Oh okay by the way apparently to know it was safe the kids used the code"

"Don't blame them if you ever get your hands on these reports you'll see why they used the code"

Twelve minutes later Jennifer was home and everyone was very happy to see her safe and sound

"Hey Rumble you and me right now, because I have a  _lot_ of pent up emotions going through me right now thanks to a situation that happened at school today"

"We were told school was let out early because of an incident"

For twenty minutes Jennifer and Rumble just duked it out giving Jennifer the opportunity to release all her anger and fear of the whole situation in a safe manner because there was no way they were going to let her near her sword in that state of mind. Finally though Rumble realized she had safely released all the emotions of that day and declared the spar over

"Okay I think you've had enough Jennifer besides don't you have some homework to do?"

"Yeah I do thanks for reminding me Rumble"

Jennifer does her homework and then does her katas for her Katana for an hour, and once all of that was done she went to bed ready for the next day. The next day was actually pretty normal besides an assembly to discuss what had happened the day before and how they were going to take suggestions that would make the kids safer if at all possible and Jennifer and the EDC kids were all agreed that one safety measure that could be taken was location codes which would confuse the bad guys yet allow the students a chance to get to safety, unless the school decided to simply lock down. If that was the case then a lock down code was to be given and all the students were to stay in one place


	6. Chapter 6

"We'll think about it but we also need other ideas as well just in case we decide not to use location codes"

Several ideas were given but none looked as good as the location codes or simply being told to lock down the classrooms

"All right then, all EDC kids will have to work together to make up the codes and if they're good enough maybe we'll send them to administration to make it a district wide thing"

Well suddenly their phys ed teacher ran up and whispered something to the principal who got a serious look on his face before calling all the EDC kids up for an emergency meeting

"Okay guys I have some bad news for you, the nearby EDC base has been attacked and we've been told that you have to go to location 15 once school is over wherever that is"

"Tell me you didn't just say location 15"

"Sorry Kerenai I did"

(sighs) "That's just perfect any word on how those at the base are?"

"No none we were just told to tell you location 15, that you would know what that meant"

"Fine, everyone meet at the front of the building once school ends then?"

"Sounds like a plan Jennifer"

"Um excuse me but some of us don't know where location 15 is we've never been taken there"

"You wouldn't until you were at least seven years old, it's for your own good, and you're taken from several different locations so that you know the way from pretty much wherever you are, especially if things happen while you're at school. I was taken there when I was six because of unique circumstances regarding my family"

"Oh yeah we were also told about a code for you Kerenai I think it was omega 91 or delta 12 or I don't know"

"Omega 19 delta 21?"

"Yeah that's it"

"Well that ain't good, looks like I have some extra duties once school lets out"

"How come you get special orders and we just get the normal location orders?"

"Sorry but unless you have the proper security clearance, which won't happen for a few more years for most of you I can't tell you that. And those that  _do_  know only know a portion of what's going on with me and they aren't allowed to tell anyone who doesn't have the clearance" (thinks) " _Even those that know I've been raised by the Cybertronians don't know exactly what this order is, in fact they don't know that it's highly probable that I won't make it back alive considering my orders are to do a solo sneak attack on a Quintesson hideout that's recently been discovered. The location of the base will be at the safe house and once I have that I leave the safe house and take down some Quintessons hopefully_ " (talks again) "Anyways we'll think of codes while we're at the location sir I promise you that"

After school all the EDC kids got their things and then met up at the front of the school deliberately missing buses

"Okay guys let's get to the safe house"

"Hey Kerenai maybe we can think up location codes for the school while headed to the safe house"

"Sorry but that's a no go I don't want people to accidentally overhear us and know our plans if the worst does happen again"

"Oops my bad you're right we'll wait until we get to the safe house"

Fifteen minutes later they were at the safe house that they were told to go to, it was a typical house just with extra security meaning that only the EDC kids could get in with their DNA or actually fingerprints and access codes which they were given at age seven

"Okay you guys start thinking up codes while I do some checking on the surrounding area, make sure we have supplies to last us a few days"

"But Kerenai..."

"Who's the one with the bank account?"

(sighs) "Besides the middle and high schoolers you are and unfortunately today's one of their extended days so they won't be here for another hour yet"

"Exactly"

And so she does indeed make sure they have enough food to last them at least a week which they did and then she found a note for her telling her exactly where the base was that she had to sabotage Once she had those coordinates memorized she left a message for any high schooler who came into the room seeing as how they had clearance to know about her missions that she went on for her family though they weren't allowed to know what type of missions she went on they knew that she sometimes had work to do for the government or her family. Two hours later those in middle school and high school came and a senior in high school found the note after asking where Kerenai was and being told she hadn't been seen since they first arrived to the safe house

" _Hey I was given a mission while at school when we found out about having to come to the safe house, tel the other high schoolers I'm on mission and will be back as soon as I can, if anyone below freshman asks where I am tell them I went out for supplies that we don't actually need and you don't know when I'll be back because I'm taking the safe route so that no one finds out about this place signed Jennifer Kerenai_ "

That's exactly what happens those in high school are told the truth about where Kerenai is and the rest are told the lie. Meanwhile Jennifer had been making her way to the base and not having much success because of the fact that battles were still waging to keep the EDC area free and also some battles were to free taken over blocks of the city. The EDC was freeing the place block by block or if need street by street but at the moment Jennifer was talking to herself

"It's going to be one of those nights isn't it?"

She participated in several of the fights by force but she tried not to fight so that she could commence on her mission and also so that the enemy didn't know she was there to capture her. Finally at around midnight she made it to the base and quickly established the guard pattern so that she could get close enough to the base to sabotage the outside and maybe get inside the factory to do some damage as well. Once inside though she's actually in for a major fight because while the outside was relatively easy it turned out that the inside was more heavily guarded so she had to set the bombs and run and fight at the same time and since they were on a timer she had very little time to fight and get out safely. While she fought and bombed she wound up getting pretty badly injured but she managed to vacate the area before the place blew up, unfortunately she had injuries bad enough that they could kill her if she didn't receive immediate medical attention. About a mile away from the location of the explosion she finally passed out but not before saying what she thought were her final words

"At least this ways the base won't be trouble for my family and the Quintessons will have a harder time getting a permanent base on earth making it that much harder for my family to defend this planet and their own at the same time"

With those words said she collapses pretty much dead to the world. An hour later she's found by innocent bystanders who happened to notice the explosion and were trying to find out if anyone needed help and thus found her and realized pretty quickly that she was one of the people in need of help, so they called for an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. Once there though they had a really big problem, because ever since she had started her missions she had been told that unless it was as a soldier who was required to have their dog tags on them at pretty much all times she was  _not_  to carry any form of ID on her just in case she was captured by the enemy. Once she had come back from Japan after the whole amnesia fiasco they still decided that she shouldn't have ID on her during missions in case she was a POW (prisoner of war) however they had taken measures to make sure that unless she was tortured for the information she never forgot who she was ever again. Her family with her agreement also thought of a way of identifying her if she ever forgot who she was or if she was unconscious with no form of ID on her like the situation they were in now

"Let's treat whatever we can now and have some x-rays I don't want any nasty surprises when it comes to injuries"

"Doctor we'd better call in the police"

"What for?"

"They have a tattoo, like all the gang members have but this tattoo is different I can't identify the gang they could be part of"

(looks at the tattoo) "Hm good idea, we'll also have them in a one person room with security just to make sure, though they'll probably be unconscious for a while longer there's no use taking any risks until the police get here"

And so she's taken care of as best as possible then put into a private room with security there until police could arrive and hopefully identify the person and the gang they're part of. Two hours later an officer finally arrived and apologized for having come in so late after the call, the precinct was swamped at the moment because of the explosion in the nearby neighborhood. They went in and took one look at the tattoo and immediately recognized it and what it symbolized


	7. Chapter 7

"Can I borrow a phone real quick I have a very important call to make"

"Sure right this way"

(dials the number) "Hello can I please speak to captain Fairborne?...hi captain Fairborne this is lieutenant Anderson Jennifer Kerenai is alive and in the hospital...yes she was identified by the tattoo...no I don't know how long she's been here...no I don't know how severe the injuries are though they look pretty bad...I see I'll tell my captain that and if they're properly cleared the doctor as well...okay I understand...yes ma'am...yes ma'am...you to goodbye"

He hangs up and quickly asks the doctor about EDC security clearance and gets a nice surprise, the doctor was cleared to know how his patient got hurt and once the doctor was informed about how she got the injuries he made sure that a guard was at the door at all times in case of retaliation. Two hours later Jennifer woke up feeling a little fuzzy and instantly knew she was drugged, how badly or why she wasn't quite sure yet but she had a feeling once she opened her eyes she would understand and indeed she did

"Hospital?"

The officer she sees speaks to her

"You do realize you had your family thinking you dead for a few hours right?"

"Sorry about that, but considering I fully expected to die when I passed out I can be forgiven for not reporting in"

"What  _exactly_ were your orders in regards to the mission aftermath?"

"I was to get to a secure area and then I was to call my family. Where I was found which was about a mile away from the enemy was  _not_ a secure area"

"True enough I guess you can be forgiven then"

Jennifer goes back to sleep but that unfortunately doesn't last long as two hours later she suddenly woke up and was sitting up in bed despite harming herself earlier

"Whoa take it easy Kerenai"

(taking deep breaths) "I'm...okay, just a flashback..."(starts talking to herself) "that's right Kerenai it's just a flashback, you're in the hospital not on the battlefield"

A doctor comes in due to the alarms they had gotten

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah doc, just a flashback in the form of a dream, do you by any chance have heavy sleeping pills?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I was prescribed pills when this started a while back I am only to take them if I really need them but considering I need rest to heal I'd say having some pills is needed, because I  _have_  been known to wake up more than once during healing periods"

She was given sleeping pills, unfortunately they weren't strong enough to put her into a dreamless sleep and she started tossing and turning, forcing the officer currently with her to wake her up and winding up activating her soldier skills because of  _how_  he had woken her up. When he touched her shoulder to get her out of the nightmare she instantly moved and punched him and actually managed to  _get out of bed_ despite her injuries and sirens started wailing and the officer was now trying to calm down a soldier who was most likely in the midst of a dream still

"You're...okay...you're...in...a...hospital...Kerenai...and...no one...is here...to hurt...YOU"

As he was talking he was hoping around around dodging punches, fortunately for the officer a doctor managed to get behind her and hit her with a sedative which knocked her out cold

"That's only going to work for about an hour but thanks to you her injuries have been fully aggravated"

"Sorry she was having a nightmare and I thought I could simply wake her up"

"How long have you been an officer?"

"I'm a rookie, only been an officer for two months now, first guard duty actually"

(sighs) "Rookies, look next time she starts tossing and turning call for one of us first, we know how to deal with dreaming soldiers and officers, she has been  _tortured_  in the past officer, either that or seen a lot of battle"

"How can you tell?"

"I have the proper security clearance to know a lot about her, that doesn't mean I know everything I probably should but according to what I've been told she got these most recent injuries during a mission she had been assigned"

"But she's just a kid"

"Yeah I know"

Well she finally woke up naturally and the next day an EDC officer came in with her medication for sleep. A week later she was finally well enough to leave the hospital and go back to school the next Monday. At home

"Hey guys"

"Hey Jennifer, we were relieved when we got the call you were actually alive"

"Yeah sorry about that but I passed out from blood loss before I was in a secured area, how are the rest of the EDC kids?"

"They're good, they had to stay at the safe house for three days but we finally got things back in order by the fourth"

"That's good, now then if I recall correctly we have a test on Monday so I need some time to study without distractions"

"No problems"

She gets into a routine once again, she studies, goes to school and gets in training. And soon enough it was summer time and she went through all the main branches of the military all in one summer mainly because some of what was learned in one branch transferred to another branch thus it was possible. And soon enough she was in sixth grade and a week in she got a surprise in history class

_Okay I got this from reading multiple fics in a genre called Alex Rider I have never read the books so I don't know if this ever actually happened but in fanfics it did_

"All right everyone here's permission slips for something that America has decided to try, don't worry if your parents decide not to allow you on the trip we will have teachers fully qualified to teach the subjects seeing as how this is for a week for you to get some experience"

As soon as Jennifer saw the permission slip she paled and then asked a question that only fellow EDC kids, if they had been in her class and the teachers understood

"Please tell me this is a joke"

"Sorry Kerenai but it's not"

"Great, well this is going to get interesting"

She goes home and talks to Rumble

"Hey Rumble can you sign this permission slip for me to stay yet another week at Paris Island"

"What for? Oh wait I know that knew initiative that the president signed just last month"

"Yeah about that just why was that initiative made anyways?"

"To get more young people into thinking about the military, the reason why it's middle schoolers and not high schoolers is because everyone is high school is a bit too busy and seniors really can't afford to miss a week off even for a program like this because some of them are in advanced courses or prepping for college"

"Okay makes since to me, though only I have the training to handle what I think is going to happen, even though EDC kids are just as agile as me they don't have the same training I do"

"True enough, but hey they can handle it better than your average students"

"True enough, especially in the hand to hand combat phase it's just the rest of the stuff I don't think they can handle"

Well finally they were at Paris Island and they were introduced into military life the hard way, boys got shaved and girls were told either pin it or cut it, Jennifer had long since decided to keep her hair as short as possible either through cutting or having her hair securely pinned and since she was  _very_  effective at pinning up her hair she just asked for five bobby pins and two ponytails and her hair was regulation in twelve minutes flat and when asked to demonstrate it was secured she just smirked and ran all the way around the building, which really wasn't that big a building

"Okay your hair is regulation, make sure it's that way the entire time you're here or you'll regret it understand?"

"Yes sir"

Finally they get their first "orders" of the day

"Okay kids since you haven't fully grown you'll be carrying twelve pound packs throughout the entire ten mile run, recruits you have the usual weight and time limit they get an extra half hour since they're younger and can't take as much as you yet"

Jennifer simply crosses her arms across her chest

"Hour and a half huh? I'll do it in under fifty minutes"

"Don't get cocky kid you might regret it"

(under her breath)"New instructors, oh well" (out loud) "all EDC kids as we're known as will be able to do it within the hour, except for Renee"

"I so to can do it under an hour Jennifer"

"With your knee only just having recovered from a twist a week and a half ago? I don't think so"

(winces) "You heard about that?"

"More like I saw it at the community pool"

"Fine but I'll be there within ten minutes of the rest of you guys"

"Works for me so long as you don't re-injure that knee of yours"

And so every single EDC kid except for Renee managed the run just under the hour mark and just like Renee said ten minutes after the hour mark she finished the run herself. The rest of the class barely made it in time for them to have passed the test even the track runners had fallen behind by a lot. The rest of the day was typical basic training day including an obstacle course which only Jennifer managed to do without trouble, hand to hand which all EDC kids were fairly decent at, all they needed now according to the instructors was some fine tuning, and finally swimming lessons. The next day was the same but the third day at the Island things changed, early in the morning people came into their bunker and Jennifer was the first one to notice intruders and so started a struggle. Unfortunately though that alerted the rest of the EDC kids it wasn't fast enough and they all got knocked out with chloroform and after a bit of a struggle so did Jennifer


	8. Chapter 8

_Three hours later_

(groans) "Did anyone get the license plate of the truck that hit me?"

"Sorry Jennifer but you were drugged like the rest of us though it appears you were drugged the heaviest"

"That explains the headache I have and why I feel a bit fuzzy...wait now I remember what happened and now that I think about it I have that after feeling of being drugged" (sighs) "Well we're going to be declared missing soon enough I hope when we don't show up for training and me missing will not end well for the captors"

"Because of your family?"

"exactly"

Well suddenly a masked person came in and grabbed Jennifer and separated her from the group and started torturing her for information that everyone had been told was very important that included new recruits whom were only just discovered to be in there. Too bad for the masked guys Jennifer was  _way_  to used to torture and interrogation techniques so she didn't spill at all. Three hours of her silence made them throw her back into her cell and try someone else, a new recruit, and that person  _did_  crack and when they were thrown in pretty beaten they admitted it two days later when he was returned

"Sorry guys I gave up vital information that I never should have given up"

Their captor came in

"That he did and now we have all the information we need to attack the Pentagon and two other bases"

Well that's when their captors learned that wasn't the smartest thing to say around Kerenai because made her go into action. Because even though she still had her hands tied behind her back she had several plans made out during her time in captivity. First she simply ran at her captor and stunned him with a shoulder hit in the stomach. Second she managed to make him drop a knife he had hidden behind his back and she picked it up and cut the ropes binding her hands behind her back. Third she took their captors gun and started untying the ropes on everyone else, unfortunately the rest of their captors had come in and started shooting at Jennifer (with simunition though she didn't know that) which she dodged. Fourth she did several flips and turns while trying to shoot their captors, unfortunately for her she landed wrong on one of her flips and that made her right arm useless, but she simply switched the gun for her other hand and continued shooting like it was natural. While all of that was happening the rest of the people including the actual recruits managed to escape and that's when they learned it was all part of a torture and interrogation exercise. Finally the base commander came in and told everyone to stand down

"Sir what's going on here?"

"Simple you guys were in a torture and interrogation exercise that has recently been demanded for regular soldiers since you guys sometimes work with the EDC"

"Oh so these guys are marines then, possibly instructors"

"Exactly and all they and you have been shooting is simunition, hurts like crazy when you're hit but more effective than blanks and doesn't kill you if you're actually hit any where's vital"

"An exercise, none of this was real?"

"Correct though only you passed, everyone else including the actual recruits failed, all of you will of course be headed home tomorrow so they don't have to worry about another session"

With that being said Jennifer simply sat down in a chair again to regain her sense of balance seeing as how she had had adrenaline pumping through her body until just a minute ago

"Have the rest of the students been told it was just an exercise?"

"Yes they have been"

"And why weren't we wearing the protective gear required for simunition?"

"Oh you were but you wouldn't notice it"

"Why not?"

"Those new shields your family developed a few years ago"

"You mean they actually managed to work out the bugs on that thing?"

"Yep they were on their wrists the entire time, they would have felt the sting but they wouldn't have gotten seriously hurt if they were accidentally hit in the head"

"That's good to know, now to just pack up and get ready for tomorrow, oh and try to explain my skills to everyone that's not an EDC kid and cleared to know about me"

As soon as she left the building a student who didn't have the clearance asked her what she was expecting

"So Kerenai, how'd you do all of that stuff in the cabin when you clearly have issues with your right shoulder on occasion"

"Sorry but only EDC kids are allowed to know even a fraction of that reason and seeing as how you're not an EDC kid I'm not telling"

"Will you really get into that much trouble?"

"Well not necessarily but what you don't know can't hurt you so yeah forget me ever telling you things about me" (sighs) "Okay everyone hear listen up just for a moment, all of you saw us EDC kids as we're frequently called do extremely well during the hand to hand combat training. That's because since we were a young age we've been trained to fight so that if anything happens we can defend ourselves hopefully long enough for help to arrive. I've been able to do more than them because of  _very_  unique circumstances regarding my upbringing but even I can't beat some of these soldiers in what they can do if only because of my age and size"

A drill instructor speaks up

"She's right, if not for her age and current size she'd probably be able to do adult CPR if she wanted to, but she's still a few years away from that so she can't, not to mention the handling of the big guns that we have"

"And when she says big, she means big, most of the time they're mounted onto vehicles they're that big, but some of them can be used on foot, it's just not possible for a seventy pound sixth grader to use them"

Jennifer speaks up real quick

"But a rifle" (shrugs) "That's doable depending on it's size"

"Oh...forgot you were qualified for that over the summer"

"Yeah well considering how often I've gone hunting with several different people figured I might as well sergeant"

"True enough true enough, now then all of you leave tomorrow and go on to hopefully lead normal happy lives"

That's actually what happens, and all the way through middle school not much changes, okay yeah Jennifer occasionally had to keep up her military qualifications and once she had a two month mission with the coast guard in seventh grad but really, would anyone expect less after a category 5 hurricane in the south. Or at least that's what those in her grade thought and since she was an EDC kid she easily managed to catch up with those in her grade once she returned, though they quickly learned not to mention disaster zones around her for the next three months and also learned  _never_  try to wake her when she's catching up on much needed sleep with the schools approval, it never ended well for the offender. In eighth grade they got a reminder of just how deadly she could be when they were to experience yet another lock down and the code that had been developed in fifth grade and approved of for the school district went into effect, basically the bad guys were  _begging_  to be locked up by the time the police arrived and that was saying something. During those times Jennifer managed to fully qualify in all of the special ops branches of the armed forces and that was impressive to say the least. But then ninth grade came and that would devastate the school for a whole school year, it started with a code that had been developed when several of them were in fifth grade

"Would all teachers and students please report to the assembly hall, repeat all teachers and students please report to the assembly hall"

With that everyone quickly moves and through multiple routes they had memorized once a month just like fire drills they all actually managed to make it to the basement safely and once attendance was taken again it was noted that everyone was indeed there including all the EDC kids seeing as how they had special permission for active patrol if need be

"Okay principal is the one mainly in charge but sir, I think anyone who's an EDC kid or knows how to hunt is going to have to be allowed out through the window to get out messages on a regular basis"

"You're right however we need maps for you guys to memorize and locations for you to send your messages to, not to mention a delivery method"

"Well archery club was just recently restarted right so why don't we use that equipment?"

"Works for us"

That's exactly what they do, those who had the right aim were messengers, they made sure the outside world knew about the supplies they needed, if they were alright, and thanks to all that training EDC kids were getting enemy movement so that a plan could be formed to free the school and everyone in it that was a hostage

"So what's the plan anyways?"

"Basically we stay put until EDC officers come tell us it's safe and they will be using EDC codes that only EDC kids can recognize so it's best you leave the doors to us"

"Right will do"

That's exactly what happens. And during summer things changed where Jennifer was forced to fully be part of a marine unit simply because of the long term mission they were to go under soon after her sophomore year started. Unfortunately things would change rapidly for them that year. No one not even the American government knew that SERPENT (no one knew what it stood for) had decided to team up with Quintessons and they attacked Jennifer's school during class hours. Jennifer went into action getting out her gun and charging into battle while yelling at a teacher to call 911 and request back up. By the time the police and her marine unit showed up though it was too late, first they saw her get shot in the heart and then there was an explosion that SERPENT caused that was right where she was to make  _sure_ she was dead

"Kerenai  _no_!"

That was the futile cry of her unit when they saw the explosion. School was immediately shut down for the rest of the week it was just too much for the faculty and students to take, not to mention that their building had taken on some minor damage. That Saturday the funeral was held, those of her year actually got there early because they had all agreed that they needed to  _talk_  before anyone else was there

"So I was wondering about making a pact right here and now"

"What pact?"

"That everyone who is physically able to joins the armed forces once they turn eighteen, we forgo graduation, drop out of school, take our GED's" (General Education Diploma) "and become soldiers"

"What about those that hoped to attend military schools?"

"Yeah not to mention it would be a bit suspicious for the school not to have a graduating class"

"Not unless we talked to the school and the district about it, plus who knows what could happen up to the point of turning eighteen, some of us may have accidents that automatically disqualify us for military service or something else might come up"

"So that means that we would still have a graduating class it would just be smaller than most for a school our size, I think I get where you're going and I like it"

"Okay but only if the school and district agree"

"Hey not like they can do anything once we turn eighteen, after all we're technically legal adults at that point"

"Hm have a point there"

"So do we tell them or not?"

"No after all they might not agree and they and our parents don't have a say once we turn eighteen"

"But we are still making the pact?"

Everyone thought about it and actually agreed with the plan, they also decided that they would spread themselves out between the branches as much as possible so that one branch doesn't get too severely swamped by them. And so the funeral is held but no one notices a shadow figure watching in interest over the funeral and they actually say a few things themselves quietly

"You'll be missed Jennifer Kerenai, no one may know the full truth about your death for many years to come or they may die"

And just like that they disappear and soon after they join the marines all with a faked background that no one would discover for  _quite_  a while


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay for this part I got permission from giverofgrace on ff.n to use their idea

Well two years had passed since the death of Jennifer Kerenai and the school had actually somehow found out about the tenth grade vow and it had been decided by the families and the military that on the anniversary of Kerenai's death everyone who qualified from her grade would be allowed to join the various branches on the same day so all of them took their GED's early and then depending on their preferences went into the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard and everyone at each branches first day of basic training was told the same thing but it was more important at Paris Island because her old unit was also coming back that day for a refresher and to get used to a new member of the team, the reason why they decided to do it at Paris Island was because of the fact that they had heard about the vow as well and had decided to welcome Kerenai's age mates as well

"All right now then this is going to sound weird especially since most of y'all are all in various stages of either basic training, drill sergeant training or for one unit special teamwork exercise. You are not to mention the name Jennifer Kerenai to any of the new recruits coming in today nor the marine unit that's also coming in today because they all either went to class with her or due to special circumstances worked with her in their unit"

"But sir that's not fair"

"No buts those are orders are we clear?"

"Yes sir!"

One marine though looking like a combat veteran on the outside was having a mental panic attack on the inside

" _Oh man what if either my classmates or unit recognizes me I faked my death for a_ reason  _two years ago and I_ still  _haven't finished that assignment, oh well it is what it is and at least I have a solid cover story should they think I look familiar_ "

Once they were dismissed that soldier went to their private quarters and picked up a picture that on the back said Jennifer Kerenai and her family

"Oh guys, what would you do if you were in my situation? everyone knows me as Julie Anderson right now since Jennifer Kerenai had to die two years ago to try and find the mole within the marines and yet all I want to be right now is Jennifer Kerenai and forget my stupid Presidential assignment" (sighs) "but if I  _don't_ find the mole things could get ugly real fast seeing as how they've done less sabotage since my undercover assignment. Mainly because I've been stopping them all but still they've slowed down because they know someone is somehow onto them"

She hears the muster call for lunch and puts the picture back where it belonged

"Well goodbye Jennifer Kerenai and hello once again to Julie Anderson, the hardest, toughest, no nonsense, and no unit marine to live"

While Jennifer or Julie at the moment was in her quarters her current unit decided to give her old unit a warning. And so when they were in private her current unit leader had his arms over his chest and had a very serious look on his face

"Look I'm giving you guys a warning right here and now, if you value your lives don't do anything around Anderson when we're in the same field together, in fact I would prefer it if you never got close enough for her to hear conversations. We're her third unit in the same amount of months"

"What gives Johnathan you've never given us any warnings like this before"

"Look even we don't know the full story but apparently she was a POW and tortured for a year and a half before she was rescued, and this happened on her first assignment overseas the rest of her unit killed in the ambush, how she recovered physically enough in four months we don't know, but according to a video from the unit that found her and their own accounts of what they couldn't tape it was  _not_ a pretty scene. According to the psychologist we've been taking her to she still has months to go before she even has a semi-normal mindset again but she is healing so she's allowed to stay in the military for now"

"Yeah we'll we've had our own nightmare to deal with for the past two years so I guess we can understand in a way"

"Yeah we got orders in regards to that earlier today"

"Yeah, unfortunately some recruits were a little stupid around the new recruits, and some of those recruits are EDC kids as they call themselves"

(winces) "Just where was the incident and where were you guys?"

"The incident was in the mess hall as for us we were still debriefing from our last mission or we might have joined in as well"

"Are they being kicked out and who all is in the infirmary?"

"Don't know about the infirmary but no one's being kicked out or if they are it's not from the new kids because all the older recruits were forewarned"

"I think there's a reason we were warned about that, all of you are still too sensitive even after two years even if you soldiers don't look it I can see it in your eyes, they get harder, colder when we even allude to her"

"Yeah well we've actually improved a whole bunch compared to that year, we ourselves are starting to bring her up in conversations but according to reports we have on them per our request they don't mention the incident or her whenever possible and they easily get into a temper if anyone else mentions her, even those who saw the incident aren't spared from their wrath"

"And those that call themselves EDC kids?"

(winces) "All of them from any grade are pretty bad if they knew her before the incident those that have only heard rumors of her know better than to say anything or if they do they're not caught mentioning her"

"Okay since you guys seem to be better what will set you off in regards to her"

"Saying her actual name or the mission will get you guys hurt, telling us we failed her in regards to training also isn't the smartest thing to do"

"Understood, now then we've already given you some warnings about Anderson but here's a few more if you absolutely  _must_  work with her don't mention any battles you've fought in the past year and a half, don't mention any times you've been or nearly been captured, and for some reason she has some issues with snakes don't use any rubber snakes as a joke, the last guy that tried that before she was transferred to our unit had his nose broken and his shoulder dislocated"

"And if she's near a real snake?"

"Kill it as fast as you can before she freezes completely up and gets bit, especially the venomous ones, non venomous won't kill her but she won't be too happy all the same"

Well training and retraining went well when suddenly a week before the newest recruits were to finish and both Jennifer's old and new units were done reintegrating an emergency base meeting was called and that meant all marines recruits or not had to go to the assembly hall

"We know this is all sudden but a terrorist organization known only as SERPENT has recently been causing trouble again and we need everyone possible on active duty. There's more and I know I'm going to be assaulted when this is over and no those who attack me won't be in trouble. Two years ago SERPENT first appeared at a school and attacked the student body, one student had a weapon on them that day because they were licensed to and they went to stop the aggressors. That student was killed through a shot in the heart and also a bomb, that's student's name was Jennifer Kerenai and she was the first victim of the terrorist organization because of these things"

He shows a picture of Quintessons and everyone in the know suddenly got very angry and the room temperature seemed to drop about five degrees due to that cold anger

"These things are known as Quintessons and this will be a joint operation between us and the EDC that will be all"

Well once he was done several of the students that had seen Jennifer's death were all ready to attack him if not for an older marine who had managed to sneak up to the podium without anyone noticing


	10. Chapter 10

_Moments earlier_

As soon as the name SERPENT was mentioned Julie clenched her fists in anger and memory and realized that the soldier that was speaking was the mole she had been after the whole time, including during her period of captivity which was not a year and a half like her unit had been told but really only six months, but it had been an intensive six months of torture and so while the speaker was giving his supposed report she snuck up to where the podium was

_Present time_

" _That_  was a bad move soldier"

"Oh and why's that Anderson, don't like to be reminded of your failures in being a SERPENT prisoner for a year and a half?"

That shocked Anderson's unit because they had never known who had had her prisoner just that she was a POW survivor

"That's where you're wrong I  _wasn't_ a prisoner for a year and a half like everyone was told it was only six months. And since you're a traitor to your country and everyone else here would have found out eventually my name isn't Julie Anderson, it's Jennifer Kerenai, the same Jennifer Kerenai you're organization tried to kill two years ago"

And with those words she started attacking the traitor seeing as how he attacked first, but Jennifer was better, much, much better because of all the training she had received over the years and with only her hand to hand combat skills she managed to knock the traitor out cold within five minutes and then went to the microphone herself

"Well now that that's out of the way I should start by saying that what I just revealed is completely true, my real name is Jennifer Kerenai, I've been undercover as Julie Anderson per presidential order, sorry everyone for lying to you. Most especially both my old classmates and my old unit you should have never been through the pain I've put you through these past two years. To my current unit I'm sorry I lied to you about my personality and who I really was but it was too dangerous to reveal myself until they revealed themselves. To everyone else please note this is a classified matter and you will be fully debriefed on the situation within the week, for those who graduated without me, I was told of what you vowed by the president himself and everyone else will be told by tomorrow I promise you that, because I am going to make sure this is a full military and EDC assignment that means we'll need all the branches of the armed forces working together on this, though we won't forget our other duties either, we'll simply have representatives from each branch making a new task force which I will most likely be named the leader for"

That's when the base commander speaks back up

"Kerenai I do believe you have some more explaining to do with your old classmates and your teammates both your old ones and current ones"

"Indeed I do and yes guys that includes the nightmares I know you've seen me had since I joined your unit a month ago"

They go to a private area and over the next two hours Jennifer explains the last two years of her life to everyone who really had to know the full truth right then and there

"Those nightmares are in reality flashbacks and thus the reason why I have sedatives in my typical mission pack. And why my back story is based on half truths"

"So all of this was because of a mole in the marines?"

"And possibly in other branches of the armed forces too but unfortunately for me I wouldn't know because I was told to focus on the marines"

"There's something I don't get Jennifer, if you take sedatives when your nightmares are so bad how on earth can you wake up at a moments notice?"

"They're a special type of sedative that doesn't counter act my training and instincts, I've been waking up at a moments notice for years seeing as how it's saved my life a few times. So when I need sleep I take sedatives the EDC developed so that I'm not groggy after taking them and something requires my immediate attention. Trust me it would not be pretty if something needed my attention immediately and I couldn't do a thing because I was too tired to actually concentrate on my job"

"Okay but that doesn't explain how you can tell the difference between friend and foe when you're that deeply unconscious, because I've checked you for wounds while you were under that sedative before during our training exercises and you don't move a muscle and yes I mean that literally guys"

"That's also part of my training, you see I've been taught from a young age how to distinguish between friendly and non friendly footsteps no matter what the conditions. Now then since I've answered all the questions I think I can for now I have a family to contact and tell I'm alive again, because they won't believe anyone else but me"

Jennifer calls the EDC and just as she suspected they didn't believe it was her until she gave a very specific code which was to be used over the phone for identification purposes. She also then gets off special make up which reveals a tattoo on her left forearm which would have busted her ages ago to those who were in the know about the tattoo. Once that was done she went to her desk and put a locket around her neck after having looked at the picture inside it. Once she was fully her self again she went to meet with her old and current unit seeing as how those her age or nearly her age had to debrief on how they were forming units


	11. Chapter 11

"So anything we should know immediately Kerenai?"

"Well we might have to fake our deaths, or we might just simply act like soldiers on assignment I don't quite know yet there's also the fact that the task force is almost certainly going to contain those that were in my grade from every branch so be prepared for a lot of question and answer sessions and also a lot of people looking like combat veterans in regards to their eyes even if they've never actually seen real combat before, those raised in the EDC get those eyes at a very early age, though not as early as I did, the rest would most likely have gotten those eyes the day I 'died' at school"

"And they'll get even harder over the course of the mission most likely"

"Yeah they will I've seen and experienced things in my years that I shouldn't and as you've probably noticed my eyes have gotten a  _lot_ colder since you guys last saw me"

"Torture would do that you know, though it is nice you weren't tortured nearly as long as we thought you had been"

(sighs) "Yeah but it wouldn't have mattered because of my amnesia experience when I was younger"

"When you were thought dead in Japan?"

"Exactly and I still can't believe you've been cleared to know about that part of my life"

"Everyone who's your age or has served with you has been cleared on that part"

"I see"

She takes out her locket and then starts to sing an old song she made up with her family in Cybertronian, seeing as how the song was in reality part of a code for a secret use for the locket that no one but she and her family knew about and one that hadn't been activated before

*When I wake from this dream of death, I will call on you, you are my family and I miss you, but this has been necessary, I wish that I hadn't lied, but that was unavoidable if you knew the truth, you would have done what you could, but that would have put everyone in danger so I had to die. If I could I would have told you, but there just wasn't time. When I come back I will tell you, everything will be fine, just wait for me while I'm gone. I will be back, trust me I will be back*

She waited five minutes then repeated the code which got her an answer this time

_Five minutes earlier when the code was first sung_

Blaster had traded Soundwave just a month earlier in protecting and communicating with all Cybertronians on earth and also keeping communications open between earth and Cybertron when he heard a code he never thought he'd hear again

*When I wake from this dream of death, I will call on you, you are my family and I miss you, but this has been necessary, I wish that I hadn't lied, but that was unavoidable if you knew the truth, you would have done what you could, but that would have put everyone in danger so I had to die. If I could I would have told you, but there just wasn't time. When I come back I will tell you, everything will be fine, just wait for me while I'm gone. I will be back, trust me I will be back*

"It's not possible there's no way it's her she died two years ago, Blaster to Galvatron please come to the communications room"

Galvatron entered and Blaster repeated the playback and he too was stumped and then they heard the code again live and that's when they  _knew_  they weren't imagining it and that got both of them angry though only Galvatron spoke it out loud first

" _How_  do they know that code?"

"I don't know sir but I'm about to find out"

And so Blaster opens comes and sounds very angry when he asked the question and saw a hologram of someone who should be dead

" _How do you know this code?_ "

"It's me Blaster it's Jennifer that's how"

"Jennifer died two years ago so I ask again How. Do. You. Know. The. Code. ?"

(sighs) "You asked for it delta 1 beta 9 Zulu, Zulu 5 and if you want more proof well I do have this tattoo you guys allowed me to have when I came back from Japan in case I was unconscious or I was forced to deliberately forget my name"

After she said that she showed them the exact tattoo she was talking about

"It is you but how?"

"Presidential order to fake my death sorry about that"

"Understood, so besides letting us know you're alive what's up?"

"Need my weapons I left there plus I want you guys in on the task force to take down SERPENT"

"Well as long as Galvatron and the Primes approve we're in"

"Good talk to you guys soon then"

And once communications are cut both Galvatron and Blaster look at one another, look at the screen that just revealed Jennifer alive and then at the same time

"PRIME!"

Both Primes come running in asking what's wrong and they're told about Jennifer being alive and how it was presidential orders to fake her death

"How do you know it's really her?"

"Uh besides the song code which activated her locket communication device she also showed us her special tattoo which clinches her identity because that tattoo cannot be faked or copied"

"It's good to know she's alive, Blaster you have permission to contact Soundwave and tell him to let everyone on Cybertron know she's alive"

"With pleasure Optimus"

"So wonder what she's going to decide once this whole SERPENT mess is done with"

"Good question guess we'll just have to wait and see won't we"

"Yeah we will"

Well over the next two days those that needed to be informed about Jennifer being alive were indeed informed and then after a careful discussion there were finally members of each branch of the armed forces chosen for the task force

"Okay hopefully everyone's been briefed on SERPENT correct?"

Everyone nods in affirmation

"All right once we get orders we're going to go on a SERPENT hunt and destroy any and all bases that we can find, while we're at it if any country is in trouble of a coup or takeover we make sure to help keep that countries government in tacked no matter how much you might hate the government system"

"So how long before we get our orders sir?"

"No idea we get them when we get them I guess, in the meantime everyone who went to my school stay behind a bit because while you've been told I'm alive I have some information for you guys only something that not even fellow EDC kids knew"

Once everyone else left Kerenai started talking again

"Alright everyone there's something I didn't mention to the rest of the troops due to the fact that I  _know_ there's going to be complaining, you see when I faked my death all those years ago I was under presidential orders seeing as how only the president can order me due to my family circumstances and also my choice, what you don't know is that it was either fake my death or risk hostile takeover at the moment so I chose death, when that happened a special code activated within the EDC that forbade any and all EDC kids to train with the training robots. The reason was because those robots automatically shut down if they were in front of a kid, the reason behind that was because we needed to conserve your strengths and not risk any injury should SERPENT decide to still try and take over. Those not from the EDC and yet decided to join the military probably started taking self defense classes if they weren't already I presume, well for you guys there wasn't much I could do to protect you but when I faked my death you guys were under constant surveillance just in case of retaliation. The president also ordered that EDC kids would be in charge regardless of age if retaliation did happen so if we're split up into groups you guys will be in charge of older soldiers"

"So what now Jennifer?"

"Simple we wait and see to our orders are if we stay together or split up is up to the president, but we should also keep our training up you know seeing as how we're supposed to be ready at a moments notice"

Two days later they finally received orders and those orders split the task force up by both branch and unit and they were all to go to either definitive or possible countries dealing with SERPENT

"And finally my unit is headed...oh this is interesting, my unit is headed to Japan, now remember EDC kids are to be in charge of each unit, no questions asked these are presidential orders, my unit we have a crucial pit stop before we head over to Japan"

Kerenai's unit heads to her old home and she orders them to stay in the jeep no matter what and also not to speak about what they might possibly see. And so she went into the house


	12. Chapter 12

*Hey guys I'm here for my Katana and then we're headed to Japan*

*Oh yeah it is legal for you to constantly have your Katana in Japan isn't it and also during the weekends here*

*Well we might be re discussing legality with the Katana once I get back since that was only because I was still in school at the time*

*Make sure you're used to the weight before you use it*

*But of course, though I'm going to have to do the quick version since we're on a time crunch*

That's exactly what Jennifer does, she makes sure she's used to the weight with both two handed and one handed styles, she also makes sure that the Katana was in useful condition and once all of that was done she sheathed her Katana and went back out where her team was looking at her oddly with a Katana at her side

"Uh sir why do you have a sword by your side?"

"Later right now we have a country to check out and save if need be"

They decided to go via boat seeing as how navy and marines worked together often they made sure to catch a boat headed towards Japan. Once on the boat they were told they had a few days to relax before they got themselves into trouble, though the captain did request meeting with the mission leader which meant Jennifer was headed to the bridge

"Lt. Kerenai reporting in sir"

"Kerenai huh, heard you were alive recently now then I need to know exactly where we're headed exactly and why you have a sword on you when swords are illegal"

"Okay you're mission is to just get us close enough to Japan for us to sneak into the country and gain valuable intel as for the Katana I need it in the country and it's totally legal for me, be warned no one touches the Katana without my approval and yes it will remained sheathed except during my daily katas to keep myself in shape and I've also scouted the proper areas for me to be able to practice"

"No way of me to be able to get you to keep that sword of yours in your quarters?"

(shakes her head) "Nope none"

"Fine then I'll relate those orders in regards to that sword to the rest of the crew and what happens if you gain not so good intel in regards to Japan you leaving?"

"No we have other orders in regard to if something's gone down in Japan"

"Basically our orders are to get in, make sure you get safely to Japan and then get out as fast as possible"

"Pretty much yeah"

"And if things go south and you need to evacuate?"

"We don't leave until we know that the country is free and safe"

"Just what are you getting yourselves into?"

"Sorry but that's something I can't tell you, what I  _can_ tell you is that once things settle down you'll be our pickup"

"Understood now then time for me to pass on orders regarding that sword and then I think you guys should get some rest all of you look pretty stressed"

"Sorry captain but I gave orders to my men to stay up during the day so that they can sleep at night, unless things change in Japan we have to be active during the day and quiet at night it's our best chance of survival"

"Very well, at least make sure your people have eaten though"

"Will do"

The ship and her crew get into a new routine for the next few days when suddenly during day time activities when planes were on patrol an emergency happened and a pilot needed rescuing

"Captain let me get a jet and help him"

"Sorry Kerenai but you no longer qualify for that status"

(growls) "Fine at least let me help in medical then you know I qualify for that"

"Again no"

"But why?"

"Simple because you're going to be on the helicopter that will get him out of the water if he ditches and if he needs medical help then you can give your first aid training while en route"

"Works for me"

That's exactly what they did fortunately the pilot wasn't too severely injured so things went great in that aspect all he really needed was some dry clothes and a hot drink

"We got lucky with that pilot"

"And tomorrow you guys are leaving, we'll be close enough tomorrow to be able to drop you off without getting busted and still make sure you're on Japanese soil safely"

"I thank you then captain, make sure that no one talks about us being on here even over the radio in case you're overheard, those orders are applying to everyone who gets the special task force soldiers to their locations"

"I understand"

"Alright men it's time to move out, when we get there we're gonna have to blend in so that's why I said to have your civvies ready, also when we land hopefully it'll be in a nearby town, since I'm the linguist I'll be the one to see what the situation is and we'll go from there understood?"

"Yes sir!"

And so they land and actually do find themselves near a town

"OK if I'm not back within two hours assume I've been captured and the enemy has control of the country, if that should happen Adam you're in charge, I want you to take the men to another location of your choice so long as you feel it's secure. Once you're in a secured location it's all up to you to free the country however you see fit is that understood?"

"Yes sir, and if we decide on a rescue mission?"

"Ah but first you'd need to find out exactly where I am and since none of you speak the language that would be kind of hard wouldn't it?"

"Understood sir"

Kerenai goes into town to figure out where she was

*Excuse me but where exactly am I?*

*In the Satsuma province, our government has split us up into Sengoku period provinces since it seems to work well enough*

*Thank you for that information*

She heads back to her group having been gone for an hour

"So what's the situation sir?"

"Simple Japan has been taken over and is now split up into Sengoku provinces, we're heading to Oshu by way of Aki and we'll probably also have to head through Echigo and Kai if we're unlucky"

"How long will that take sir?"

"Normally if we had the means of a car possibly several hours or even a day or two if we're really unlucky, since we have to do this by walking we're changing tactics and moving at night for now and it'll take us at least two weeks to get where we need to"

"Bummer"

"Well it's the best choice we've got right now and by the way choose your shots carefully I'll be fighting the most since I have a Katana which means I'm never out of ammunition"

"Can't believe you can just up and use a sword with no repercussions"

"Not exactly soldier but I really can't go into the details right now...look for now just stay low and obey my orders would you?"

"Yes sir"

And so they started heading towards Oshu. Three days in though they would learn  _exactly_  how good Jennifer was with a Katana several SERPENT soldiers and a Quintesson went by them and also actually managed to discover them so she had to fight since she knew they had to conserve their ammunition until they absolutely had no choice and it was nasty. She cut up the Quintesson real fast and then fought several members of SERPENT though they were better and managed to dodge her for a bit but they did eventually get killed, it just took longer and not without Jennifer taking a few hits too. But finally she finished them up and went back into the woods and looked at her team and only said one thing that made sense to them


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

"Now do you see why I have the Katana with me at all times?"

"Yes sir we do and now don't you need to clean that thing?"

"Indeed I do, once we do that we continue on and this time we're going until we can't go any further which means walking during daylight hours unfortunately"

"Would have been forced to eventually if we needed supplies"

(shrugs her shoulders) "True enough but I hoped it wouldn't have to be this soon"

"Hey Kerenai I just thought of something how many people in Japan know how to handle a blade?"

"Not many really, if they're lucky some people will be taught by those that know how during this invasion but like I said in reality not very many people know how to handle a Katana or any kind of blade really"

"So you're one of the few dozen or hundred?"

"Exactly"

They continue heading towards Oshu and finally after two weeks and two stops for supplies later they finally made it to the main compound so Ariel decided to just head in and speak to the leader of Oshu, unfortunately for her it was night time when they headed in and since no one but the enemy entered the compound at night she was immediately attacked by a Katana So she unsheathed hers and started fighting back not getting a good look at her attacker but understanding they were dead serious on protecting that place so she hoped to placate them with the truth

*Listen...we're...not...part...of...SERPENT...we're...American...soldiers...forming...a...taskforce..to...free...everyone...in...Japan... _from_...SERPENT...my...name...is...Jennifer...Kerenai...but...I've...also...been...known...as...Julie...Anderson...or...when...I...had...amnesia...Kasuga*

She finally managed to push her attacker back enough away from her to get a break but then she heard the sound of a sword being sheathed

*If you are truly who you say you are then sheath your blade and come into the light, as I am coming into the light*

She sheaths her blade and is shocked when she sees who she had been fighting, in fact she's so shocked she actually faints

"What did you do to her?"

They hear another voice who speaks in a very heavy accented English

"My master did nothing, though why she fainted I have absolutely no idea all he did was reveal himself to her"

A few words are exchanged and then they hear their translator again

"My master says to come inside where it's safe and that you won't be attacked again"

Everyone goes inside and simply waits for Kerenai to wake up, the soldiers due to worry and the other two because of explanations that were so desperately needed. Fifteen minutes later Jennifer woke up and immediately started speaking in Japanese which meant the rest of her team wouldn't understand a word that was said unless someone translated for them and quite frankly the conversation really needed to be private first

*Master how are you alive? I saw the arrow strike your heart I  _saw_  it, and I felt no heartbeat, the coroner simply confirmed your death and released your body to me for proper burial per your instructions*

(sighs) *In a way I did actually die that day Kasuga. You see I received a warning from an old JSDF buddy of mine that I was being targeted by an old comrade who was dishonorably discharged because of my actions, he had managed to join the group we took down just a year earlier but found he couldn't do it himself so instead he had the kids do it for him. That day at the compound I was wearing protective gear and had already taken medicine which would slow my heart down to where you couldn't perceive it thus making you think I was dead, the trigger is trauma to any part of the body that would kill fast if hit in that area, of course head shots are instant kills even without the drug if it somehow in the center of the head but any where's else it's not. At the coroners I was given the antidote to the poison and a fake body was given to you in my place. Once that was completed I went into hiding in case anything else should happen, the Japanese government was informed the truth when we planned this out so they told me to stay in the area that would be Oshu if we had to activate that plan which a year after hearing about your death at school we had to activate that plan*

*SERPENT has been in control of Japan for that long?*

*Yes and until we gain more control over the enemy we stay in our provinces and don't even attempt to expand or unify the provinces because they can be taken away just too easily*

*Have you continued teaching the ways of the sword and surprising your pupils with how good you are despite your blindness?*

(sighs) *I used to but every time they thought they got good enough to take on the enemy with the sword they went out on their own and got themselves killed, after having lost twelve pupils that way I stopped teaching the ways of the sword if only to keep them safe*

*Instead with my help he's decided to focus on the more modern weapons and has me help him teach how to use guns and artillery, plus hand to hand if they manage to get an enemy without a weapon*

*Okay the hand to hand I get but the other stuff confuses me how does that work when you can't aim at what you're trying to hit?*

*That's why I have a student who can see basically teach them how to use those weapons*

*Master maybe with me around impressing on them the importance not to overestimate themselves you might be able to teach people the way of the sword again, and yes I can use the Katana both or one handed, I got back into shape fairly fast I say on the boat, but probably not quite good enough for your standards, but man master I almost thought my right shoulder was going to give out on me for a moment there*

*See that means you need to regain your stamina, though that shoulder will always be weaker now won't it?*

*Indeed it will be master indeed it will be*

*Well I guess we could try your theory, but if it doesn't work no more students understand?*

*Yes master I completely understand*

Finally the soldiers interrupted

"Um excuse me but just what was it you guys were talking about?"

"Oops sorry forgot you don't know Japanese, well the first part really was private between the two of us but the rest was him informing me that SERPENT has been in charge since I was supposedly killed two years ago it's just that they were sneaky about it so no one noticed and how no one else is being taught how to use a Katana after he lost twelve other students because they got cocky and thought they could take on the enemy with a blade before they were truly ready"

"What about if you teach us how to use the Katana Kerenai after all we're soldiers"

"Sorry but even if I have the swordmaster title I can't teach you guys because for one you are Americans and can't have Katana once this is all over and for another you're  _way_  to used to a gun, I at least remember how to handle a blade because I used to always have that bokken that you scoffed at remember? Well I got it to keep up my sword practice even if I needed to get used to the wait of a real Katana again"

"Okay so no go on the whole Katana training, can we at least help with the weapons practice and freeing Japan seeing as how that was our assigned mission anyways?"

"That is doable yes"

"What about the guy who appears to be the leader of this section of Japan?"

"One moment then" *Master they want to know if they can help with the weapons training and freeing Japan seeing as how I won't let them touch the Katana*

*Approved it will be good to have the help*

*I'm sure it will be master, I'm sure it will be*

That's exactly what happens. Over the next five months with Kerenai's help the old master took on new students in regards to the Katana and the soldiers helped with the hand to hand and weapons training. When it was time for a sabotage mission specially designed for those training with the Katana everything went much better than before because they didn't overestimate their skills, in fact if anything they underestimated their skills because they sometimes teamed up on enemies that didn't need to be teamed up on, but that was okay it just showed that Kerenai's constant drilling into their heads about being overconfident was getting through to them so she didn't mind, though she decided that the next lesson would be about properly sizing up your opponent if given the chance. But one day things weren't going to well, right after a mission they did the typical headcount and Jennifer and several others were missing

"We have to go back"

"No master says it's too dangerous"

"Look it's Kerenai, from what we've been told and those that already know if she cracks a whole lot of people will die we have to rescue her if she's been captured before they can torture her past her breaking point"

"Is that possible?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you have been practicing torture and interrogation resistance hasn't she been one of the best even if she wasn't amnesic?"

"What do you mean?"

"She has told us about her training it appears that she can deliberately forget information and also before she does that she has been able to resist torture for five days even drugged"

That makes the entire group hesitate just long enough to actually get them truly thinking

"There's also the fact that she could have been killed in battle, she is not invincible just really well trained according to her"

(sighs) "Fine we wait until we have more definitive word on her but once we do we're going to go all out to rescue her if need be when we find her location"

More translation is given and a simple nod lets them know they have approval for that plan. Due to the fact that most battles unless it was a sneak attack now took place during the day everyone started resting up for possible retaliation that night either that or they simply stayed up since they had day shift guard duty and would rest at night except during an attack on the compound. Later that night the guards noticed someone heading towards them, from a distance they  _looked_  tired and injured but they couldn't be too sure so they stopped them early on

*Hold right there identify yourself or we  _will_ shoot*

*Oh shut it Sakura, I'm tired, hurt, hungry and just want to get back into the compound to inform our leader about some other soldiers being captured and possible locations*

*Kerenai, thought you died on the battlefield*

*Nope, they tried but they didn't succeed but like I said I'm injured and need to report in so can I please?*

*Sure*

She goes in and makes out her report to the sub leader seeing as how her master was resting. What they didn't know until she saw her master was that he had woken up and he looked ready for battle despite his injuries


	14. Chapter 14

*So Kerenai know where they're keeping my horse?*

But Jennifer simply unsheathed her sword in reply

*Sorry master but if I need time to heal before going back out to fight then  _you_ need even more time then me, I saw how many enemies you fought and just how severe some of the blows they gave you were so don't even think about it*

*I'm just going to scout out where my people are Kerenai nothing more my blade is simply a precaution like I taught you years ago*

*Not happening*

And with that she charges at her master who quickly unsheathed  _his_  Katana and a battle ensued. A few minutes later though she finally managed to knock the leader out with the blunt side of the blade

*Finally you're going to get more rest and heal, and I too am going to heal* (turns to one of her people who had seen the fight) "Since you guys saw where he was resting could one of you take him back, but not John I need the help of a medic and then I'm going to bed myself where we've been staying since we came to this compound months ago"

They talk medical in her room her going over what injuries she knew of some of which were obvious and the rest had to be discovered by a full physical

"Hey John, where's my extra pack?"

"In my room per your orders why?"

"Well I seem to have lost my pack during the battle and I need those sedatives close by right now just in case I need 'em"

"Right almost forgot about the sedatives, I haven't seen you take one in ages"

"That's because we're not bunking together if we had been you would have seen me take some last month. I always seem to need to take them at least  _once_  every month or two, I'm especially at risk after a bad battle like today's, so yeah I need those sedatives close by so I can get some decent sleep"

"Okay I can make sure you get the meds, just let me finish wrapping you up and then to bed captain you need sleep after having been thought captured or killed in today's battle"

(yawns) "I hear ya, though I always wonder how you noticed me taking something in the past when I try to keep it as secret as possible and I'm also very quiet about it"

"Bunk mates on the ship remember? I know you don't scream or anything but when you sleep that closely together and you have to get out of the top bunk even with how quiet you are you still made enough noise for me to notice you taking one of the pills"

"Ah that actually makes since in a way, anyways off to bed for me"

Well after waking up twice within two hours Jennifer knew she needed the sedatives and so she took them to get some actual sleep. But late that night or early that morning depending on who you talked to afterwords intruders came in and tried to kill everyone, but that just wasn't possible with how Kerenai's senses were. As soon as the intruders got even close to her room they inadvertently made some noise and she woke up, seeing the intruders she got sneaky and got out her Katana without making any noise. Once she was positive about her attackers she made the next move which was attacking with her Katana, though the enemy also had a Katana without her knowing it at first. Everyone else woke up to the sound of fierce fighting because a general rule of the compound was no nighttime spars because it was just too noisy. Things got chaotic in the compound pretty quickly when suddenly she heard someone get stabbed behind her, she took out the enemy herself with a quick turn but once the enemies retreated momentarily from her area she realized the person who saved her life was her master

*Master but why?*

*Because you have much left to do, you and your friends can free Japan I know it*

*We will master I promise*

With those final words her master died for real this time, but Jennifer knew she had no time for mourning at the moment, she had a compound to fight for. But finally either all the enemies were dead or had retreated

*Where's the master?*

*Dead we have to choose who leads Oshu now, and no my comrades and I are not candidates, we're Americans and that means we don't even belong in the country for as long as we have been. Okay I'll admit I technically have international citizen status because of rare circumstances but even then I couldn't take over Oshu because I'd be gone too often to properly lead the people. We're here to free Japan and that's what we're going to do but to do that my friends and I need to constantly be out fighting or sabotaging the enemy*

*We'll take a vote soon enough right now we need to make sure the compound is secure and also the rest of our border*

*Got it, looks like this is going to be one of those days*

And that statement turned out to be more true then possible, while she was trying to establish everything was okay in her section of the border check there was another attack and Jennifer was ambushed. When the citizens finally left their houses there was no sign of Kerenai except a lot of blood and her blade

*We have to tell someone about this*

*Agreed I'll take her blade to the compound*

And so a citizen takes the sword to the compound and a search begins and they hope that she was still alive but Jennifer's unit was realistic there was very little chance of her still being alive because of how much trouble she could give the enemy. They knew that she would probably be killed soon after she was taken to the leaders or after she refused to talk so they had little hope of finding her alive

"What now American? we've lost both our leader and your leader"

"For now nothing but search and reek havoc to the enemy" (sighs) "the real problem are those with Katana they don't have the full training Kerenai did"

"We'll simply have to deal with it now won't we"

"Yeah we will"

They continued fighting back against SERPENT and the Quintessons for the next two years, they actually manage to unite Japan a little bit more because they actually managed to be able to meet up and join with Echigo and keep the entire area free. Once that happened they called that area of Japan Free Japan and the rest of Japan by the provinces it was now split up into. Well they also managed to make an alliance with Kai even though Kai said to wait a little longer before uniting with that part as well to signify that part of Japan was free as well. Some of Kai's soldiers found an enemy compound on their land and they went in and would find a very interesting surprise, they had been told about Jennifer a long time ago and how she had died soon after her master had died so they were always looking for her body to return to Oshu and give the soldiers resolve in her death. They entered the compound and found a very bloody and barely alive person, they would get the person down from where they were chained and would get them to the only hospital that they had

*How is she doctor?*

(sighs) *She's in a coma, we have no real means to identify her, but maybe those from Free Japan might know, send word to them and hopefully we'll find someone who knows her*

Free Japan received the message and sent two American soldiers and several residents from Oshu and Echigo and they would receive a shock

"Is that really Kerenai?"

The soldier goes over and checks her left forearm and sees the tattoo that she had shown them so that they could identify her no matter what

"It is her, can someone tell them her name is Jennifer Kerenai?"

That's translated and that's when Jennifer woke up actually

*I won't tell you creeps a thing that will put Japan into more trouble or even America Quintecreeps*

*Kerenai you're in Kai in a hospital, and you're safe*

Jennifer finally focuses and sees friendly faces for the first time in two years

"Hey guys sorry I've been gone for so long"

"It's okay boss it's good to know you're alive though"

Well unfortunately her body decided to give out on her again and she wound up in the coma. There were actually family members there to and they would put her in cryo for a hundred years after which once she woke up she would find out the entire world was taken over. Once that information was given she really started fighting back but would die before earth was truly free due to poison in one of the attacks, but her death would lead the rest of the soldiers to free America the last real country in need of freeing from SERPENT


End file.
